The Dark Artifices: Lady Midnight
by TheartofMOAR
Summary: Emma has spent the last five years eradicating demons and hunting down her parents killers. She's still no closer, as she continues her journey her growing feelings for her Parabatai Julian Blackthorn continue to blossom. Set in sunny Los Angeles five years after The Dark war, will include past characters from the mortal instruments in. Review and tell me what you think, Thanks!
1. Prologue: Roses Fall

_What's in a name? that which we call a rose_  
_By any other name would smell as sweet_

Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare

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**Lady Midnight**

**Prologue: Roses fall**

"Sorry again about the portal boys. I'll be sure to have a discussion with Malcom Fade about his less than intelligent portal positions next time." Arthur Blackthorn still carried a hint of his British accent from his time in the London Conclave. Only the thought of making a good first impression kept Jamie from shouting at the Warlock for landing him and the Ravenscar boy into a pond.

"I thought Warlocks were supposed to be good at portal travel." Jaime said. Arthur shrugged a small shoulder. His cane clacked against the pavement as he walked. Jaime was not expecting Arthur to look as he did, with his round face and spectacles. Running an institute meant you had to be strong, had to protect the young as his father had always said. Not small and limping.

"Malcom is well worth all the money we pay him. I'm sure your trip into that pond was simply a prank on his part." Arthur said. "Besides the pond sprites seemed to like you fine."

Jaime shuddered at the thought of their slippery hands touching his chest. "I suppose you get what you pay for." Jaime sighed. "How far away are we from the institute? Christina keeps asking."

Jaime's phone buzzed again. Another message from Christina.

WHERE ARE YOU?

I CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO MEET EMMA AND JULES :)

The Ravenscar boy peered over at Jaime's phone. 'Silas', Arthur had said his name was when he came through the portal after him. Jaime imagined he would have been handsome if it weren't for the sickly state of his eyes. Huge purple bags laid beneath eyes the colour of rotted apple. Dirty blonde hair hung limply off his head like tendrils looking for water.

"Not too far now boys. I thought it might be nice to take the scenic route so I could show you the sights of Los Angeles."

"The scenic route led me into a pond." Silas said dryly. "What kind of Warlock portals you into a pond? My duffle bag is soaked." As if to emphasize his point, Silas shook the soggy bag. Jaime was lucky, with his fast reflexes he was able to throw his bag into dry land before falling into the pond.

"The kind who is cheap." Arthur smirked. Jaime laughed a little; he could see why Christina liked this man. With his height Jaime towered over Arthur and Silas. They were both small however where Arthur was a skinny as a rake, Silas was muscular as if trying to make up for his small stature.

Jaime watched the seafront of Santa Monica. Women and men sunbathed until they became as red as lobsters; others were learning to surf on the sand. A small child with an ice cream ran past them laughing, with an older girl in a leopard print bikini running after him giggling. His sister Jaime assumed. They reminded Jaime of him and Christina at that age in the Mexico City institute. Although they were cousins they played like siblings and fought just as hard.

"Do you have any siblings?" He asked Silas. He paled just a little Jaime thought before colour returned to his cheeks.

"I had one. An older sister, she died during the dark war."

Jaime lowered his head respectively. Many of the nephilim had lost family members during the battle with Sebastian and his endarkened army. The Rosales were lucky; none of their family was killed during the battle. Jaime was tasked with watching Christina whilst their parents had gone to fight. He felt pride being the one to look after her, that they would trust him with such an important thing as her.

Before Jaime could give his apologies Arthur interrupted. "I'm sorry to hear that, my brother died as well. He was the bravest man I had ever known and fought until the end. When he died I took over the institute here." Arthur stopped moving and leaned out on a railing.

The surf was rolling in; a handsome red-haired life guard was talking to two girls from his chair. He seemed to enjoy the attention Jaime thought. Mentally Jaime was humming the jaws theme tune.

"You two will like it in Los Angeles. I didn't like it at first; believe it or not I missed the London rain but it grew on me." Arthur said. He took a deep breath breathing in the salty sea air. "The one thing I don't miss though are the worms, worms give me the creeps, never known why."

Silas cast him a sceptical look but continued to watch the swimmers. "Worms." He muttered.

A scream pierced out cutting the silence between them like a knife. Jaime ran as fast as he could to the alleyway where it had emerged. A small dark place covered with happy meal wrappers and broken beer bottles. In the centre was a woman dressed in green and red leather, her face was covered by shadows. Below her was a dead body.

She hissed at Jaime and ran. Jaime took out his crossbow in a swift motion and fired. The bolt hit her shoulder blade and she tumbled. A lime green liquid seeped from her red leather jacket. Jaime ran after her around the corner. He looked down the street. She was gone. A few mundane's looked at him strangely but most ignored him. Jaime's ragged breathing was loud in his ears.

"JAIME!" Arthur called. Jaime looked a last desperate time for the woman but she was gone. Jaime walked back to the alleyway. In his hand Arthur held a slim sword that had come from his cane. Silas held a woodcutters axe, he poked the dead body with the side of it.

Silas suddenly jumped back and started gagging. He stumbled away from the body and to the wall leaning on it holding his mouth. Jaime got closer and saw what he had gagged at. The body was a female faerie with milk white skin with green veins like sap from a tree. Her blond hair had a green tint to it but was now stained with blood.

Her heart was ripped out and in the hole where it once beat was a small sapling just starting to grow.

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**So that was my first chapter :) What did you think? Tell me if you would like me to continue, Thanks!**


	2. Kingdom by the Sea

**Hey, I'm glad everyone liked the first chapter :) The Blackthorn family is introduced in this chapter so enjoy!**

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**Part 1: Steel and Temper**

**Kingdom by the Sea**

Emma hacked at the practice dummy with a furious determination. Straw burst out of the arm like fireworks. Diana always insisted that they worked on straw dummies rather than the plastic stuff other institutes had. She had said if it was good enough for her in her youth then it was good enough for the children Los Angeles institute.

The Weapons room almost took up a whole floor in the institute and both the west and East walls were made out of a tough glass. From below she could watch the mundies as they ate their ice creams and headed to the beach dressed in shorts and bikinis.

Emma slashed the sword down across the dummy's chest. Dry, yellow straw fell out; the dummy drooped to the floor in a sad flop.

"Emma!" Diana shouted. "What did I tell you about using a real sword on a dummy?"

Emma twisted around to face the annoyed Diana. She had been with them for the last five years. After the dark war she had left Alicante with the rest of the Blackthorns to become their new tutor after their last teacher Katerina, had become one of the endarkened. Emma still remembered that night in vivid detail, running to find Dru and Tavvy, throwing that knife into Sebastian's chest, jumping through the portal.

Only to find her parents were dead the next morning.

Diana stood, one hand on a wooden sword, staring at the disembowelled dummy and Emma with Cortana in hand.

"To not to?" Emma said raising an eyebrow. "Fine." She turned to the dummy on the floor. "Mr Dummy, You have my deepest apologises for disembowelling you. I'm sure you had dreams and aspirations I tragically cut short. Say sorry to Dorothy and the Tin man for me."

Emma could hear Diana sighing from behind her. "For once could you not be so sarcastic? All I ask is that your war on the dummies takes a ceasefire so I can stich them back up."

"Perhaps it's a sign. I'm just saying maybe straw is a little outdated. And a possible fire risk."

Diana twisted her long black hair in a braid. A silver koi fish danced along her cheek, Emma had never thought to ask what her tattoo meant. Diana took out a throwing knife, spinning it in her hands before launching it at the arrow board. With a 'thunk' it hit the centre.

"To become a great warrior, you must have two parts to your psyche. The gentle stream and the raging storm." Diana turned to face Emma. She leaned on the wooden broadsword. "You have the raging storm part down."

"What if I'm all raging storm?" Emma slid Cortana back into its hilt.

"Then you're as good as a half sharpened sword." Diana said. She threw the wooden sword across the training room. "Work on your breathing exercises, like I showed you."

"It's no use Diana, she never listens to any of us. 'No Emma, don't go into the room filled with angry imps. It's dangerous.'" Christina Rosales strode into the room. She was dressed simply in a white tank top and jeans. As per everyday she wore her silver medallion loosely around her neck. Her raven black hair was wet; the red stripe in her hair was faded. Emma had guessed she had just gone for a swim on the beach front before her cousin Jaime showed up.

"In my defence, there were half as many imps as the werewolf had said."

"Half as many was still too much." Christina replied. She had a small butterfly-knife attached to her waist. Diana glanced over at Emma and Christina.

"Do I even want to know?" Diana sighed. "You know what I don't care right now. I've got to resuscitate these dummies from Emma's wrath."

Diana started to pick up handfuls of straw putting it into a small pile. Sometimes in the light her koi tattoo seemed to shimmer silver as if it were alive and breathing.

"You're starting to sound like Ty." Emma said. "He'll be so proud of you."

"If he ever enters the weapons room, I'll tell him but until then," Diana threw another lump of straw onto the rapidly increasing stack.

"You might want to hold off on the scarecrow making, I've just got a text from Jaime." Christina's brown eyes darkened. She looked up at Diana. "Apparently something's happened; Arthur wants you to meet him at Eighth Street on Hermosa Avenue."

Diana stood up and brushed the straw off her lean figure. She was dressed in Shadowhunter black. "Did he say why?"

Christina shrugged. "Well I doubt it's for a romantic picnic."

"I'll get my weapons." Diana marched out of the weapons room. "Remember your breathing exercises Emma!" She shouted from the hallway before disappearing from view.

"I don't think Di's the romantic picnic type." Emma said. She took off her shoes and threw them across the room hitting the weapons wall. Pole staffs and a variety of knives clattered on the floor. Christina shut her phone and slipped it into her pocket.

"Has anyone told you, you have spectacular aim?" Christina said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"What about your cousin and the Alicante transfer?" Emma asked ignoring her comment. They walked out the weapons room together. Emma intended to take a shower and wash the sweat from her face. Her blonde hair stuck to her face like glue. Christina was lucky she never seemed to have that problem.

"Jaime said they'd be here in half an hour. Arthur told them the address of the institute and to meet up with us. We have to show them to their rooms and get them settled in." Christina stood at the stairs. Emma started to climb up them taking two at a time to her room.

"I'll see you in half an hour then." Emma smiled back at her. Christina shook her head and headed off. Probably to go feed Oscar the cat. A greying, old cat that hissed at anyone who tried to feed him except Christina and Livvy. Emma still had a scar on her left hand from where Oscar had taken a swipe at her when she was fourteen.

Emma headed up the stairs to the third floor and took a left. She loved the Los Angeles institute from the Beachwood that covered the walls to the views that surrounded the old church. She could see the sea rippling from the east and the vast mountain ranges from the west. The best part was that it always smelled of the beach even in the dark recesses of winter.

"What did I tell you about the bee's!" She heard Jules shout. Emma peaked into Jule's room. His white walls were covered in paint splatters. It was Arthur's idea to let Jules repaint his walls the way he had wanted to when he was small. Julien had loved him for that and welcomed him into the family the moment he bought his favourite take out home.

Julien had his hands on his scruffy brown hair, his blue-green eyes shined. He had a certain type of attractiveness when he was angry Emma thought. She snapped herself out of that line of thought and continued to watch the boys fight.

"You said to get the bee's out of the house. I did exactly what you said you cretin!" Ty had his hands in the pocket of his black waistcoat; underneath he wore a green t-shirt tucked into his black jeans. He was scowling at Jules.

"You put the bees on the roof!" Jules shouted.

"You said _out _of the house! The roof is _outside!_" Ty exclaimed. "Learn basic floor planning big brother."

Ty scratched his head. His unruly black curls fell over his stormy grey eyes. Emma sometimes used to wish that she looked more like her parents, the only likeness being her blonde hair.

"Emma." Jules said softly. She leaned on the door frame facing the two boys. Ty looked so different from the other blackthorns, he was rake thin and had jet black hair. He shared none of the Blackthorn traits, her parents used to joke that it was out of pure stubbornness.

"What do you think?" Jules asked. Ty looked at them sceptically.

"Well technically Ty is right, you did say out of the house." Emma said. Ty broke into a big smile

"Parabatai have got nothing on me." Ty flounced out of the room. Jules had folded his arms. His Parabatai rune was clear on his right forearm. Emma's identical one was on her left bicep.

Emma and Julien had been the second of a group to become Parabatai. First she had remembered had been Clary Fairchild and a tall skinny boy with glasses, Simon something. She couldn't remember what Shadowhunter name he had taken after he ascended.

"Did you have to take his side Em?" Jules asked.

Emma shrugged. "If I didn't you two would have spent the better part of an afternoon arguing. You've got to choose your battles sometimes."

Jules slumped down on his bed. His room was a mess, clothes were thrown everywhere, and glasses laid on every surface filled with murky liquids. Still Emma didn't mind it, her room wasn't much better.

"Do mind if I use your shower? The plumbing's busted in mine."

Jules nodded. "Knock yourself out. Wait. Don't actually do that, that would be hard for me to explain to Uncle Arthur."

"Well it's a good thing you don't have to. He's gone."

Jules sat up on his bed. "Has something happened? Is he alright?"

Emma picked up a towel from the floor. "I think so; Tina got a text from her cousin saying that Diana had to meet him by Hermosa Avenue. Must be super secret Clave business."

"Maybe they're going on a date?" Jules laid a hand against his forehead and swooned. "A love separated by several Blackthorn children, A Rosales and Emma."

Emma threw a dirty shirt at him and laughed. "_And Emma_? Oh be still my beating heart."

Jules grinned at her.

Emma went into his on-suite shower and shut the door, hoping he didn't see how flushed her face was.

* * *

Christina poured the catnip into Oscar's bowl. His white fur was lined with grey and he had scars all over his body from fighting. _Guess we're not so different _Christina thought as she looked down the Rune scars that lined her brown arms.

"I'm just saying that the name Jaime just sounds hot." Drusilla said. In her hand she was holding the five year old Tavvy. He had an ice cream in his hand which he had covered his face with. Dru's wavy brown hair was cut short and danced around her ears. They had walked into the kitchen from the glass doors. Livvy walked in behind them, her brown hair flowing down her neck. Christina could tell that they would both be beautiful when they were older.

"Silas just sounds," Dru shuddered. "_yucky._"

Christina jumped up from behind the counter. "I'll be sure to tell them you said that."

Dru squeaked. Livvy laughed at her blushing sister. She took Tavvy's hand and sat him on a stool whilst he ate his ice cream. His brown hair was cut short by Diana whom he protested against as well as a five year old boy could.

"I don't think timing gets better than that" She turned to Dru and smiled. "Thoughts Dru?"

Dru had turned cherry red and Christina laughed. She motioned with a finger for the girls to sit at the counter. "Don't worry, I won't tell them you said that." Christina turned to the fridge and took out three bottles of orange juice and passed them to the girls. They both took large gulps.

"Thanks." Livvy said.

"Sooooo, _is_ your cousin hot?" Dru said, the red fading from her face. Christina shut the fridge door and leaned on the white marble counter opposite them. Tavvy was now sliding along the highly polished wooden floors in his dinosaur socks.

"I haven't seen him for a while but last he told me was that the girls in the Mexico city institute were swooning all over him." Christina scrunched her face, thinking back to the letters he had sent her. He always went into a lot of details about the girls there, never once mentioning the guys.

"You've got to admit though, _Silas? _In the attractive guy's name range that is right next to Quasimodo and Herbert."

"I still retain the opinion that Quasimodo deserved to get the girl." Livvy argued playfully.

Christina's phone buzzed. She looked down to see the familiar old image of Jaime. He was smiling at her but had pimples all over his face, then again the image was taken during his battle with puberty. He's twenty-one now. She smiled at that thought.

KNOCK KNOCK :)

Christina shut the lid of her phone. "Well I guess we'll find out now. They're here."

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**I hope you've enjoyed :D Remember to review and give me your opinion :) Thanks!**

**-TheartofMOAR**


	3. A Bond Stronger than Blood

**Hey Everyone! Thanks for all the reviews so far :D It really encourages me to continue :) Enjoy the new chapter!**

**-The Art of Moar**

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**2\. A Bond stronger than Blood**

Emma came out of the shower dressed in her training gear. She was towelling off the last of the water from her blonde hair and perched on the bed beside Jules. In his hands was a sketchpad she had bought for his birthday. He had cleaned himself up whist she had been in the shower; he was now dressed in a clean green button-down shirt and paint splatted jeans.

Jules watched her and then looked back down at his sketchpad and winced.

"Not upsetting you, am I?" Emma asked. Jules closed the sketchpad and slid it under his bed.

"No. I'm working on a sketch and I can't seem to get it right." Jules said. "Something's missing."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I'm the best person to discuss art with. My last attempt ended in disaster."

Jules laughed softly. "You didn't have to set fire to the canvas Em."

Emma playfully pushed him on the arm. "It was the only way to assert my dominance over that stickman." Emma said throwing the towel in the laundry bin. "Besides, my runes are pretty decent."

"Decent but not _pretty_." Jules replied sharply. Emma was about to retort when the door behind them knocked frantically. Emma stood up and pointed at Jules.

"I'll get you back for that." She smiled. Jules was the only one who ever insulted her like that. They always took shots at each other but they never meant any of it. If anyone dared speak to Jules like she did, she would have them in a headlock before they could say 'Shadowhunter'.

Emma opened the door to see Dru and Tavvy. Tavvy was squirming in her arms, his face an ice creamy mess. Dru smiled at her, she was dressed in pink shorts and a yellow top. Her sapphire eyes seemed to shine in the midday sun as if they had just come out of the ocean. Her brown hair was recently cut short into a choppy mess. It suited her, Emma thought.

"Emma!" Tavvy called. He reached out for her.

"Hey Em, is Jules in there?"

Jules appeared behind her. She could feel his hot breath on her neck; it made her shiver even though she wasn't cold.

"Why hello there." He smiled. His brown locks fell over his blue-green eyes. "It finally happened Emma, a girl called for me. I feel like the most popular boy at Prom."

Dru rolled her eyes. "Ty refuses to meet the new people and I'm pretty sure I heard an explosion come from his room." She said. Emma and Jules looked at each other and then back at Dru. Tavvy was playing with her hair and laughing.

"He better not be playing with bombs again. Oscar has never been the same since last time." Jules said. Emma remembered Oscar the cat coming out of Ty's room black from used gunpowder. Since then he and Ty have had a special hatred reserved for each other.

"Well Livvy's downstairs talking to the new people and Ty's not moving." Dru said. She glanced a pointed look to Ty's room.

Jules looked to Emma and smiled. She felt a lurch in her stomach and smiled back. "I'll get Livvy."

Dru watched Jules as he jogged down the hallway and to the stairs. She set Tavvy on the floor and took his small hand in hers.

"You okay Emma?" She said.

"Hmm." She replied. Dru smiled a little. Her face was starting to lose the last of its baby fat, pretty soon she'd share the Blackthorn look. Sharp face, blue-green eyes.

"Your eyes… They've gone all wide."

Emma touched the area around her eyes. She hadn't cried since she lost her parents five years ago. "I got shampoo in my eyes." She said quickly.

Dru nodded. "That's the worst."

"It is." She replied. Emma followed Drusilla and Tavvy down the hallway and then down the stairs. She always thought of the Los Angeles institute as her home, as long as she was here then everything was safe. It was comforting and the Blackthorns were like her family. Jules even more so.

Parabatai. A bond stronger than blood.

But what if you made a mistake in who you picked?

Emma shook her head. It was no good living in the past; Jules was her best friend and Parabatai, who could ask for more in a person?

Emma jumped the last steps to the ground floor. The foyer was a long rectangular room with a set of double doors leading to the outside and white marble pillars that spread along the outer wall.

Christina was hugging a tall Hispanic boy. He was older than her and very handsome. He shared the same dark hair as Christina and honey brown eyes. He was slender with broad shoulders and a smile full of affection. Livvy was talking to him and blushing. Jules looked between them and hid a laugh as a cough.

Beside them was a boy watching them awkwardly. What struck Emma about him was he had the potential to be handsome, if he were slightly different. He was small but muscled with dirty blonde hair and eyes a sickly shade of green and yellow. He was dressed in Shadowhunter gear like the Hispanic boy and had a duffle bag around his shoulders.

He nodded briefly at Emma and Dru before watching the hugging Christina again. Jules whispered something to Livvy and she kissed him on the cheek.

"Hey Em." She said as she strolled past them and up the wooden stairs.

Emma made her way over to the group. Christina detached herself from the boy and tuned to Emma and Jules. Dru was blushing. She could see why, from up close he was even more attractive with his rumpled black hair and white teeth.

"Emma, Jules. This is Jaime Rosales, my cousin."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. Christina goes on and on about you in her letters. I look forward to being a ward here." He smiled. Emma couldn't help smiling back at his friendliness. Jaime waved at Dru who was blushing wildly.

"I'm going to take Tavvy to his room." She said. She almost ran from the foyer with Tavvy giggling behind her. Emma watched as they leapt up the stairs reminding her of a gazelle running from a lion.

Jaime pointed at them both. "Emma Carstairs and Julien Blackthorn, right?"

Emma nodded. Jules broke out into a grin.

"Yeah," He replied. "But I'm only Julien when I'm in trouble." He looked Jaime up and down. "Sorry, this might be a bit rude but why are you covered in water?"

Jaime put his hand at the back of his head and shared a look with the other boy. He was still watching them silently. Christina smiled at him and his eyes widened before looking away shyly.

"We were kind of thrown in a pond when we were portaled in. The warlock though it might be funny." Jaime said.

"At least the pond sprites were friendly." The other boy said. He stood straighter. He had purple bags under his eyes that popped out in contrast to his pale skin. He moved a little closer to the group but still retained a cautious distance.

"I'm Silas Ravenscar." He smiled a little. "I was sent from the academy to ward here."

"It's nice to meet you." Christina said brightly. Silas didn't meet her eyes.

Jaime smiled apologetically at them. He put a hand on Christina's shoulder and smiled down at her "Do you think we could go to our rooms? I'm kind of _soggy."_

"At least you were able to throw your bag before you landed in the pond." Silas shook his green duffle. Water dripped off it and onto the hardwood floor.

Jules laughed at him. "You have a balcony in your room dude. Just leave it out there to dry out for a while."

"That's enough of your incessant pushing." She heard Ty say behind her. She turned and saw Livvy pushing him to move down the stairs. His waistcoat was open and his green shirt was blackened.

Ty cast a level look over Jaime and Silas. His grey eyes looked like a storm on the verge of an eruption.

Livvy bumped his shoulder. "Introduce yourself." She said firmly. Ty withered under her gaze and walked towards Silas and Jaime and stuck his hand out for the boys to shake.

"Tiberius Blackthorn. It's a pleasure." He looked at Silas. "Why are your eyes a funny colour?"

"Ty!" Emma, Jules and Christina shouted in sync.

Silas rubbed his eyes self-consciously. "I-Ah…Genetics and stuff?" He replied weakly.

Jaime stepped forward before he could ask more questions. Sometimes Ty had a habit of not being the most aware of what can hurt a person's feelings.

"It's nice to meet you Tiberius, I'm Jaime Rosales."

Ty smiled at him. He looked at Livvy. "Excellent. May I leave now?"

* * *

Diana watched as the Silent Brothers dressed in their bone robes took the Fey's body away. She was beautiful in the way all Fair-folk are, Cold, mischievous but beautiful none the less.

Arthur stared into the distance at the sea. He had put glamour runes up the moment he had seen the body. The alleyway was large separating her, Arthur and the Silent brothers in different areas. Diana bent down and looked at the trail of blood from where she had been attacked.

Her death was different from the others. It was dirty; none of the hearts had been taken from the others. Whoever did this was interrupted or was told to deliver this brutality.

"We're going to have to go to Idris. To tell the council." Arthur said beside her. He was a small man with brown wispy hair and spectacles. He was charming in his own bumbling way. She had crafted his sword cane herself, her last commission as a weapons master.

"The children…" She started.

"They're strong. They can last a few days without us. _Alea iacta est." _Arthur said. He was using Latin phrases constantly that only Diana and Ty understood. She thanked her father that he had taught her Latin as a young girl. Ty had learnt on his own accord.

"The die has been cast." She translated. A silent brother glided silently over to them. He had a square jaw and bald head. His eyes and mouth were sewn shut. She wondered what colour eyes he had when he was mortal. Maybe he had brown eyes like her, or bright blue like Arthur.

"Brother John." Arthur said curtly. The Silent brother bowed.

_We are told this is not the first body that has been left in a state similar to this. Have the Shadowhunters who have died in Los Angeles lost their hearts similar to the young fey girl?_

Diana felt Brother John's voice fill her head like a dam of water just being released. She likened it to a storm disguised by mist. Diana shuddered against her will.

"Yes, two Shadowhunters in Los Angeles have been killed along with five of the Fair-folk." Arthur said. He kept his voice level. "We plan on leaving for Idris tonight to tell inquisitor Lightwood of the deaths."

_That is most wise. I will stay in Los Angeles with two of my Brothers to watch over the young Blackthorns and the Carstairs girl._

_"_Why?" Arthur asked.

_A favour to an old brother of mine. He was a remarkable brother and an even more remarkable man _

"Who was she?" Diana blurted out without thinking. She remembered her lifeless eyes, bright green without irises.

_Her name was Kaylie Whitewillow. A fey under the New York Seelie court._

Brother John's voice in her head felt like an unwelcome visitor. She had never liked talking to the silent brothers. It had always felt like an intrusion on her deepest thoughts.

"What was a Fey from New York doing in Los Angeles?" Arthur asked. He looked at Diana who shook her head.

"Only she knows that now." She replied simply.

* * *

Arthur and Diana had come home at seven with take out. It was Julien's favourite, Pizza. They sat in a circle in the living room. They had opened the glass door's letting the sea air in. The room was large and connected to the kitchen. From the windows they could see the setting sun over the beach. Beach goers were starting to pack up their umbrellas and towels. Some of them reminded Julien of Lobsters, red skinned and grumpy.

He, Livvy and Uncle Arthur had painted the room light blue when they were younger but had ended up getting more paint on each other than the actual room. The walls still had shades of yellow that they had missed but Jules loved it anyway. It was the imperfections that made it beautiful.

Dru, Livvy and Christina were talking to Jaime as he ate his pizza. Diana and Arthur sat on chairs with Tavvy beside them eating from the box. Silas and Ty sat next to each other not talking. Jules had Emma by his side.

"How can you eat an entire pizza?" She asked. "I can barely handle four slices."

"How can you not?" He replied smiling at her. She looked away from him; she was doing that a lot now. He wondered if he had said something to upset her. Emma was his Parabatai, he would do anything to make her happy.

He turned to Emma. "Em, is there something wrong? Recently you've been acting strange; you know you can tell me anything." Jules whispered.

Emma smiled sadly at him. "Everything's great Jules." She replied. The way she smiled gave Jules an uneasy feeling in his stomach. And then something else. Something new and strange.

Ty was looking at an axe that Silas had given him to hold. It was a big woodcutters axe and looked huge compared to Ty's skinny frame. He felt Emma tense up next to him.

"_corvos_ _flere_." He said. "Ravens weep. It's carved onto the blade."

"That's a family weapon, is it not? Where's the other half?" Diana asked. Silas looked uncomfortable at the sudden amount of attention placed on him. He took a deep breath and looked up a Diana.

"My mother gave me the family axe; my sister got the other half." He said.

"Other half?" Christina asked. Silas smiled uneasily.

"Well, it's a woodcutter's axe on its own but when you connect it, it becomes a battle axe. Twice the power. I don't know what happened to the other half; my sister had it when she was taken by the endarkened. I never saw her or the axe ever again."

"That's sad." Dru said. "We lost our Dad in the Dark War."

Julien felt himself seize up. He remembered killing his own father. He had to do it he reminded himself, he had to. As if knowing what he was thinking Emma took his arm and stroked it gently in circles. Silas took the axe back from Ty and placed it behind him.

Arthur and Diana stood up. "Children, there's something we need to tell you."

"You're finally getting married!" Julien called jokingly. "Guy's I'm so happy for you two. You've been dancing around each other for years."

Arthur went bright red and Diana smirked at his dumbfounded look.

"We're leaving for Idris tonight for a clave meeting." Diana took over when Arthur had unsuccessfully tried to speak. Julien looked over at everyone. They all shared the same shocked expression. Emma released her hand from his arm leaving him with the feeling of a bandage being ripped off.

"Can you do that?" Ty demanded.

Arthur had regained his composure and was leaning on his cane. "We'll be leaving you with Jaime. He's now twenty-one. It's what he's here for."

"To take over the institute?" Livvy cast a look of annoyance at the wide-eyed Jaime. He put his hands up in surrender. "I'm liking you a lot less now."

"I-What? No." He spluttered.

"He's not taking over the institute." Diana protested. "He's training to run an institute of his own one day. This will be good practice for him."

Arthur knelt down to the floor to be level with Julien and the others. "We'll be back in three days children. All I ask is you try not to get into any trouble whilst we're gone."

Julien looked at his brothers and sisters. They all looked heartbroken. Uncle Arthur had never left them since their father had died.

"We promise Uncle Arthur." Julien finally said.

Uncle Arthur smiled kindly at him. "Thank you."

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	4. Diving into the Abyss

**Hey guys. First of all I would like to say thanks to all the review, follows and favorites I've gotten, they've really encouraged me to continue the story :D You guys are all seriously awesome!**

**-TheartofMOAR**

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**3\. Diving into the Abyss**

Tavvy was tearing up as Diana and Arthur stepped through the portal. The Warlock who portaled them was green skinned with small horns and spiky white hair. He grumbled at the amount he was paid but left without giving a name. Julien and the other Blackthorns watched beside her as the portal snapped shut. Jaime was with Christina and Silas was nowhere to be seen. Emma couldn't blame him for not coming; he had only known the people for less than a day.

A-R-E-Y-O-U-O-K-A-Y-? She traced onto Jules bicep. He grinned at her, the kind that made her stomach squirm. Behind him the sun was just starting to rise over the institute and colour his brown hair golden.

W-E-C-A-N-P-A-R-T-Y, he traced onto her shoulder blade. She had to fight back rolling her eyes and instead punched him on the shoulder.

"Ow!" He yelped. She started to walk down the beach back to the institute with the other Blackthorn siblings. Ty and Livvy were hunched closely together, Livvy nodded occasionally as he talked. She looked back at Emma and smiled, he long brown hair unbrushed from being woken up early to see Arthur and Diana off.

Dru was running along the beach with Tavvy laughing behind her. He slapped her hand and shouted "Tag!"

Emma had always liked the way the sand felt in between her toes especially on early mornings before the sand had become scolding hot and burnt her feet. Already beach-goers were setting up their umbrellas and putting towels over their deckchairs, ready to sunbathe.

A blue winged Ifrit with purple scales lay on the beach passed out. He was dressed in trousers with suspenders and no shirt. She could smell the alcohol on him as they passed. He moaned and rolled into the shade of a nearby umbrella, putting a pair of rainbow sunglasses on.

"What do you think? Warlock nightclub?" Julien asked. His skin was warm to the touch when he bumped her shoulder.

"Probably." Emma said "Either that or he got some moonshine from the werewolves at bitter creek."

Julien snorted. "Please, they don't sell moonshine, do they?"

Emma laughed. Julien wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked up the stairs to the institute. The double doors were made out of a dark wood and engraved with a pattern of crashing waves. They opened easily to Emma's familiar touch.

"I'm starving." Jules rubbed his stomach. Ty pushed past them and ran up the stairs to his room. Emma could hear a slammed door. Livvy looked at where Ty once was and sighed.

"He's working on something important apparently." She pointed upwards to the stairs. "I think I might head to the weapons room. Dru, you want to come?"

Dru looked up at her absentmindedly. Tavvy was in her arms once again. There were times when she thought that Drusilla and Tavvy were as inseparable as Ty and Livvy. "I don't know…"

"Jaime will be there." Livvy said. Dru straightened and started walking up the stairs in haste with Tavvy. She looked back at Livvy impatiently who was leaning on the wooden bannister.

"Aren't you coming?" She said restlessly. "Weapon training is an important part of Shadowhunter tradition especially when you have a hot tutor." Livvy smiled at her and rolled her eyes.

"Boys." She mumbled thoughtfully and followed Dru upstairs.

"Were you like that when you were twelve?" Julien asked. He then waved his hand in front of his ears. "Never mind, I don't want to know."

Emma saw an opportunity to annoy. "Are you sure because I used to have the biggest crush on-" Jules put his finger on her lips and shook his head.

"No."

"You're no fun."

"I'm plenty of fun, it's just your _fun _has a way of taking a sharp left into violence and gratuitous amounts of bloodshed. Sometimes I'd just like to go to the beach with you without having to worry that the world is going to end."

"We could go for a picnic?" It was out of Emma's mouth before she had realised. She scolded herself. _Jules is my Parabatai. Jules is my Parabatai._

They walked through the institute into the kitchen. It was painted sea green with splatters of blue and red all over the walls. The wall mounted TV was on the news channel blaring something about tide a stool was Silas hunched over the white marble counter. Oscar the cat was licking the milk from his cereal bowl.

_He's asleep _she realised. His chest rose and fell shallowly like an animal on the brink of death.

"Oscar!" Jules shouted. Oscar looked up at Jules and narrowed his yellow eyes. He went back to drinking the milk from Silas's cereal. Emma strode over to Silas and shook his shoulder hard.

"Get up." She said. Silas opened his sickly yellow-green eyes sleepily and looked curiously at the cat that was eating his breakfast. A lock of his dirty blonde hair was covered in milk. He tried to pet the cat but Oscar hissed at him and Emma and Silas backed away.

"Did you not sleep well or something?" She asked. Silas rubbed his eyes and looked between her Julien. Emma was painfully aware of how close Jules was standing to her. Silas had his hands jammed into the pockets of his shadow hunter gear.

"Or something." he said softly. "So are they gone?" He asked. He hunched himself over as if he were trying to make himself less noticeable.

Emma felt Julien tense next to her. It was strange being Parabatai. She sometimes felt as if every movement Jules made was somehow sharpened, magnified, she could feel the way he moved when he wasn't close.

"I should go." He mumbled when Jules didn't give him an answer.

Julien pointed towards the door. "Go to the weapons room, third floor. We'll meet you there." Julien looked Silas up and down. Like Emma and Jules, he was covered in runes for strength and sight. Silas hastily moved out of the room.

When he was gone Jules moved closer to Emma so much so she could feel his breath. "There's something about him I don't like." He whispered. Gooseflesh covered Emma's neck when he talked. She deliberately straightened her posture.

"We'll watch him Jules. He's probably just shy, he's in a place he's never been before. I wouldn't blame him for not being talkative."

"Still..." Julien looked Emma into the eyes. His were like sapphires, a perfect mixture of green and blue. Rings of blue surrounded his iris and-

"Em, Jules." Christina glided into the room. She was dressed in her Shadowhunter gear. Her medallion hung loosely around her neck. Her hair was braided, the red streak in her black hair intertwined with the braid like a red river cutting through dark rock.

Christina looked curiously at her and Jules. Self-consciously she took a step back and leaned on the kitchen counter. She could here Beethoven's fifth echo into kitchen from Ty's room upstairs. Christina picked up a shiny green apple from the fruit bowl and took a bite.

She swallowed and looked over at Emma who had her hands in her pockets. "Jaime's got a job for us. A demon to slay and you won't want to miss this. It's a big one."

* * *

Emma watched as the midday sun rose over the aquarium. It was a small low slunk building with a flat roof and two pillars around a set of locked double doors. The front windows were tinted green with peeling pictures of cartoon fish that smiled creepily. She could smell the putrid stink of rotting fish from inside.

She looked over at the others. They were all applying their runes on their arms and legs. She looked down at her own stele. It was given to her by Jace Herondale. It was simple in design yet elegant with stars etched into the Adamas. Julien still held his stele like a paintbrush. His was green with a crown of silver thorns which decorated both ends.

Christina stood by Emma looking at the abandoned aquarium. A shadow passed over her face, Emma looked up but whatever was there was gone. It was probably a bird she thought.

Christina looked at Emma and smiled. In her hands was a surujin, it was a long thin chain with a knife on the end. It was used to tangle and then kill. She had seen Christina use it before, she had a deadly accuracy.

"Would it be so bad if for once a demon hid somewhere other than an abandoned warehouse?" She asked.

"Technically, it's an aquarium not a warehouse." Jules interrupted. He was holding a crossbow with a quiver of arrows slung around his back. "So you know there's a difference. Besides it's an aquarium, the worst we'll see is a couple of dead fish."

"Maybe we could check an ice cream shop for a demon." Silas said, the flicker of a smile on his lips. He rested his woodcutters axe on his shoulder.

They all looked at him. He shrugged his shoulders. "Everyone enjoys ice cream."

Emma took Cortana out of its sheath and cut the lock off the double doors. She pushed the doors open cautiously. The smell of fish caught her first, she had to hold back gagging. They were in a large square room, rows and rows of fish tanks lined the room casting it in an unearthly blue glow. The fish had all died and floated to the top, only a few remained. _The carnivores_ Emma realised. They had survived by eating the others.

"Alright let's split up. Everyone take a row and we'll meet at the end of the room." She said. "We can flank whatever demon lives here and take it out." The others nodded. Julien loaded up his crossbow pulling the lever back and then forward with a clunk. The arrow rested on the end, pointed and ready to kill.

B-E-C-A-R-E-F-U-L. Jules traced down her wrist and onto her hand. She nodded.

They all walked down a corridor until they were in a long straight line, each with a different row to patrol. Christina, Silas, Julien, Emma. Emma made the forward motion and proceeded down her isle. The floor was wet and Emma was glad for one she had remembered to put a surefooted rune on her boots. The surviving fish swan around her in their tanks limply.

She looked ahead in one tank. Fish swam around, buzzing and full of energy. Emma had seen this before. A documentary had once called it a feeding frenzy. She tiptoed closer; they were eating a large pink object. No it wasn't pink. It was red hair. Emma pressed her nose the tank. A mans mutilated face bobbled up, barely recognisable. He was wearing a robe over the bright orange uniform of the aquarium.

_I'M MARC, YOUR FISH LOOK LIKE THEY COD DO BETTER! ASK ME ANYTHING. _His badge floated around the dirty fish tank, the occasional fish brushing past it.

Emma didn't know whether she should me more scared of the horrible pun or the body floating in the tank.

On the ground was a pentagram and _a lot_ of candles. A thick black book was covered in blood and water. He must have been a mundane who tried his hand at summoning demons, Emma thought. The only problem was that he was good at it.

"Oni." She whispered. She remembered what Diana had taught her about Oni demons. They were Japanese in origin; they lacked teeth so they had to wait for their food to decompose before they could eat it. When the Mundane summoned them they must have decided he was their first meal. She looked at the tank again. The body had bobbled away. Julien was on the other side, his figure a dark blur.

Emma heard a crash. Glass shattering and Silas yelling. Julien's dark figure pointed behind Emma.

"EMMA!" he shouted. Emma span round. Above her was an Oni. It wore a mixture of seaweed and human clothing. As if it had washed up on Long beach. But there was nothing human about its face. It was reptilian with green skin, a wide thin mouth and cracked horns that curled around its head.

It sprung on Emma. She dodged and slashed out with Cortana. The Oni clutched his arm, the fabric of his shirt cutting away and falling to the floor.

_"Cortana." _It hissed. Emma stopped and stared at the Oni. It smiled showing its blood splattered gums. It ran a spade like hand over its bald, slippery reptilian head. The Oni's eyes were slit and yellow like a lizard. She heard more shouting from the others. They had walked into an Oni's lair, she should have realised it the moment they walked into an aquarium. All Oni have to stay near a source of water or they shrivel up.

Emma hacked at the Oni but it only dodged and laughed. Emma felt her vision go red. Anger boiled inside her like a volcano on the verge of an eruption.

_"I have tasted Cortana's steel before." _It hissed. _"Your father made sure we left but they are dead now and we must feed." _

At the mention of her Father, Emma slashed in anger but was clumsy; her hand wasn't as tight as it should have been. The Oni knocked Cortana out of Emma's hands. She felt a hot burning in her arm where her Parabatai rune was. It was bleeding.

"Emma!" Jules called out. The Oni sprang on her pinning her to the ground. She could almost reach Cortana. It's thin hilt only a hands width away. The Oni flicked its long reptilian tongue over Emma's nose. It was cold and rough. She wiggled her hand free and punched its flat nose. Black blood splattered around her burning through her clothes and into her skin. She recoiled at the pain but refused to scream.

_"Yes, little Shadowhunter, Fight. Fight until you can fight no longer and fall into the abyss. The Lady Midnight calls for you. She has an appointment to keep." _

The demon smiled at her and descended. Cortana was in her reach. She grabbed the sword and hacked the demons arm off in one swift movement. She used the weight of the blade to propel herself upwards and taking the demon down until she was above him. She stood up and pressed Cortana to the Oni's throat.

Black blood fell in a trickle down his seaweed shirt. His green skin was shiny from the battle and blood.

_"Mercy." _He begged. _"Mercy little Carstairs."_

"You said you had tasted Cortana's steel before. Now you get more than a taste." She pushed the blade down slowly into the Oni's throat. It reached upwards and screamed before folding itself up and disappearing back to its home dimension.

Emma raced round the corner to find Julien. He fired a bolt into the head of the Oni he was fighting. It folded like paper leaving nothing but a small puddle. She felt a trickle of panic down her chest when she saw his arm was bleeding. Around him the fish tanks were smashed, shards of glass covering the ground.

Emma saw him before he saw her. She leaped into his arms, he tensed for a moment before hugging her back with such fierceness that Emma started to lose her breath.

"I thought I lost you. My Parabatai rune started bleeding and…" His voice started to choke up. "I will _never_ leave your side in a fight ever again."

He smelled of lemon mixed with metal. "How about you never leave my side full stop." She replied. She felt Jules laugh.

D-O-N-E, He traced onto her back. For a moment there was nothing but her and Jules wrapped around each other. She didn't want to let go, he was warm and inviting and Jules.

"We could do with a little help over here!" She heard Christina shout. Regrettably she let go of Jules. They ran to the end Isle. Christina and Silas were back to back, fighting off two Oni. The shy awkward boy she had seen before had disappeared. He swung the axe with absolute confidence, spinning it around his hands then knocking the Oni off its feet, Christina span around him as if she had done it hundreds of times before and whipped her surujin out. The dagger on the end cutting into the forehead of the Oni.

It folded up and vanished.

Julien raised his crossbow and fired. The Other Oni clutched its throat, screamed and folded into four before disappearing leaving only a puddle of water. The arrow clattered to the floor.

"Thanks for the help." Said Silas dryly. "Where were the dynamic duo twenty seconds ago?" He bent over his axe and took deep breaths. A sheen of sweat covering his face. "We're fine, thanks for asking."

Christina bent down her braid was undone, her long hair tumbling down her head. Silas watched her mesmerised as she did it up again. When he saw Emma looking at him he looked to the ground timidly. Emma thought it was amazing how quickly he had gone to being confident back to shy the moment the battle was over.

"Maybe next time we don't split up in the aquarium of death." Christina said catching her breath. Jules laughed and Emma found herself laughing soon after. Even Silas was smiling. Emma put Cortana back into her sheath and stood up straighter.

_The Lady Midnight calls for you._

_I have tasted Cortana's steel before._

Vague connections fired in Emma's mind. The demon had known Emma's parents. Who was the Lady Midnight and what was the appointment she had and why did she call for Emma?

Emma looked at the others. Christina was applying healing runes to Jules and Silas, they both sighed in relief after she was done. Jules' arm had healed and was now pink instead of bleeding.

"We should tell Jaime the jobs done." Christina said. She was braiding her long hair again so the red swatch was visible. Her brown eyes shone like a beacon in the harsh blue light of the aquarium.

"No." Emma said. They all looked at her in various states of confusion. "We have to see someone first. I have some questions that need answering."

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	5. Beyond the Rave

**It's Sunday and time for a new chapter of Lady Midnight! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it :D**

**TheartofMOAR**

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**4\. Beyond the Rave**

_Don't fail me James. You are to run an institute one day. Weakness is a liability, you are strong and you will conquer._

Jaime's father, Danilo Rosales, voice rang like a bell in his head. It was a phrase all Rosales men said to their sons as they grew up. Eventually he would be given a suitor like Christina to marry and have a son of his own to pass on the message. It was old fashioned but it was the Rosales way.

The sun was setting; yellow and orange beams of sunlight lit the training space like a golden room from El Dorado.

He threw the javelin at the dummy with a fury he reserved only for demons; the long silver shaft impaled the dummy's chest and clanged when it hit the wall. He turned to the others. Drusilla and Livia sat on the shiny wooden floor of the training room, legs crossed. They whispered to each other occasionally looking at him as he tore the javelin out of the dummy. Tiberius leaned against the wall staring intently at a small black book. His black hair fell over solemn grey eyes.

"Alright, your turn." Jaime breathed. He bent down to catch his breath, sweat dripping off his face and onto the hardwood floor into a small pool. Livia and Drusilla stood up and made their way to a wall containing a magnitude of weapons. Daggers, swords, javelins and Jaime's favourite, the repeating crossbow.

"Ty, you too." He called. Tiberius snapped the black book shut and pocketed it.

"Why must I rely on brawn when my brain can protect me as well as your weapons protect _you._" Ty said.

"Your brain doesn't protect you, Livvy does!" Drusilla called. She was spinning a curved dagger in her small, unscarred fingers. She still hasn't had her marks; Jaime assumed she'd get them within the year. Soon the scars would cover her like an intricate map of a strange foreign land.

Tiberius tutted at her. "I am perfectly capable of protecting myself without Livia." To Jaimie's surprise, Ty showed more of a fondness for his twin than the other Blackthorns. He softened whenever she was around like rocks being smoothed by the sea tide.

Jaime strolled towards Tiberious and leant next to him on the wooden panelled wall. Drusilla and Livia were focused on the moves he had just showed them. Livia excelled at the eight limbs technique using her speed to bounce around Drusilla and jabbing into her pressure points.

"Has anyone ever taught you how to fight Ty?"

Ty didn't take his tempestuous grey eyes of Livia, her long wavy brown hair was loose and flowing around her shoulders.

"My brother…" He let the sentence hang.

"Julien."

Ty turned to Jaime, his eyes dulled like stone. "No. Mark Blackthorn. The one _your _clave said they'd get back from The Wild Hunt. It's been five years since he was seized by Sebastian Morgenstern. I hope he suffered for what he did to me." Each word was like a bullet piercing Jaime's chest.

"He hurt other people you know."

Ty turned to Jaime, his face contorted. "My brother killed my father. My other brother was abducted and my sister is an exile." Ty's voice rose and he rubbed the pocket of his waistcoat where the small black book was.

"You don't want to learn to fight then?" A small part of Jaime wanted him to desperately say 'yes' but he could see this boys resolve before he gave his answer.

"I think Shadowhunters place too much emphasis on confrontation. Look at them," He motioned to Livia and Drusilla. They were on the floor, a mass of giggling limbs. Livvy was tickling Dru's foot, "I don't want to become something I'm not."

"So don't."

"I'm sorry?"

"You're braver than me to admit that. Be what you want to be, don't ever let someone tell you what you are. _You _decide what you want to be."

Ty's face melted into a sly grin. He ran a runed hand through his unruly jet black hair. "Sherlock Holmes." He said. Jaime raised his eyebrows and Ty chuckled softly as if he knew some sort of inside joke. "Sherlock Holmes used his brain to vanquish his enemies. I intend to use the very same thing."

Jaime struggled to remember about the mundane book that he had heard so much about. He was a detective with an assistant named 'Watson'.

"So Holmes, have you found your Moriarty yet?" Said Jaime. Ty's eyes brightened.

"Not yet, but soon. I can feel it like a change of wind."

Jaime propped himself up and started to stroll over to Drusilla and Livia to tell them to untangle themselves and to get back to work.

"Jaime." Ty called softly. He turned around. Ty was fiddling with the hem of his black Shadowhunter gear, tugging it until it became loose baring his skinny frame.

"Did you know that Sherlock Holmes fenced? Do you think-maybe- you could teach me some sword techniques, for research obviously." He hastily added.

Jaime tried to hide the smile that was climbing up his throat. "Sure, just grab a sword and we'll start."

* * *

"Love the Goth gear but where's the make-up?" A spotty teenager with a squeaky voice said to Emma. "Where'd you get it from?"

Emma looked down at her black Shadowhunter gear and back at the lanky teenager in a white tank-top.

"A super-secret organisation that aims to protect the world from demons in Connecticut" Emma replied dryly. The spotty teenager smiled awkwardly at her, his ginger hair was gelled up into an array of shiny spikes.

"Right on." He said before leaving them. They were near the front of a queue to the 'Beyond the Rave' nightclub. One of the biggest in LA and coincidently run by the High Warlock of Los Angeles, Malcom Fade. The building was elegant and low slunk with black marble pillars above the double doors of the club. A Neon sign flashed above them with a corpse hand reaching up. Occasionally purple and green light would escape the building when the bouncers let someone new in.

Emma leaned on the wall with Jules beside her. He was smoking again, puffing out tendrils of smoke from his mouth. He turned to Emma and smiled.

"The Connecticut clave is going to have a riot with you when squeaky voiced teens from all over the country start looking for our gear." Jules threw the cigarette on the floor and stood on it with the toe of his boot.

"I don't see why we didn't just go back to the institute and change into something else to see this warlock in?" Silas said. In the large crowd his small stature was even more noticeable. A few girls wearing party hats pointed and giggled meanly at him. He glanced over at the girls then looked down to the floor, hunching himself over trying not to be seen again. He was about 5 foot 6 Emma guessed, she was taller than him by only an inch but Jules and Christina towered over both of them.

Christina looked away from the boy she was talking to, he was pale and his blush stood out against his black hair. "Because if we went back to the institute then Jaime would make us stay there." Christina said. "It's easier if he thinks that we're still out Demon hunting, so I texted and told him they're on the move and we're following. Not dead and a puddle." She shrugged and gave a coy smile.

"Why _are_ we here Em?" Jules put his hand on her shoulder rubbing it slightly with his thumb. Part of her wanted to desperately push him away, the other part wanted to lean into him and never move.

"The Oni mentioned something about a Lady Midnight. I'm just curious. Fade knows everything that goes on in Downworld and I want to know if she's a threat." Emma turned away, what she hadn't mentioned was that it had mentioned her parents. If this Lady Midnight had something to do with her parent's murder she wanted to find her.

_The Lady Midnight calls for you. She has an appointment to keep._

"Next!" The bouncer called. He was a large man with olive skin wearing an expensive black suit and a pair of mirrored sunglasses. Emma could hear the music blast from the inside. The floor vibrated from the bass drops. She could sense him looking them up and down.

"I want no trouble from any of you." The bouncer flashed a pair of sharp incisors at them; she jumped back crashing into Christina who steadied her. _"Nephilim" _the bouncer whispered under his breath.

The vampire bouncer opened the double doors and let them into the club, snickering before shutting the doors. The room was large, tightly packed with young bodies bouncing up and down. The walls were splattered with glow in the dark paint that reflected the lights. Hot red, Alloy orange, bitter lime. Multi coloured lights bounced off the professional dancer's bodies on the cornered stages. A DJ booth had been set up against a wall where a blue skinned Ifrit wearing a top hat was dancing manically behind it.

"BEYOND THE RAVE!" He shouted like a battle cry. The crowd cheered back at him as he changed the song to a faster paced electronic beat.

A young blonde haired vampire in a green turtleneck and black leather gloves was dancing with a handsome Hispanic boy with stubble covering his face. He bit his neck and the boy groaned, the vampire keeping him from falling over. He stopped drinking and winked at Julien before moving onto another dancer. The teenager he had drunk from rubbed his neck and continued dancing. He probably thought he had a hicky and not that he had just been fed off.

"Talk about sucking the life out of a party." Silas said sarcastically. Christina laughed and he looked inordinately pleased with himself. Jules had gone a shade of cherry red. Emma got up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

"Try not to lose yourself." She said smiling. At the far end of the room was an old style elevator with metal doors and another vampire bouncer leaning against it checking his phone. He looked bored and yawned despite the high volume of the music.

"BEYOND THE RAVE!" The top-hat wearing Ifrit shouted again.

"We need to get to that elevator. Fade is probably up there!" She shouted over the loud music. The others nodded. She squeezed her way through the tightly packed bodies bouncing intune to the beat. She noticed other vampires were doing the same to dancing mundanes. Taking a sip of their blood before moving onto the next. Technically they weren't breaking the law, they weren't killing who they fed on but still, she couldn't help the nauseous feeling in her stomach. The mundanes were drunk and didn't have much choice when the vampires neared.

They finally reached the elevator. The vampire stood up straighter, his face was clawed on one side distorting his left blue eye.

"If I were you I'd get back to dancing Shadowhunters. Anselm isn't taking lightly to seeing guests at the moment!" He yelled over the music.

"We're not here for Anselm. Fade, Malcom Fade. We want to see him."

_That explains why there are so many vampires here tonight. _Anselm Nightshade ran the Los Angeles vampire clan and his subjects were fiercely loyalty to him. If you ever insulted him, you insulted the entire clan and the entire clan was especially testy when the full moon was coming up and territory wars happened in the dead of night.

The vampire nodded and punched a button. The metal doors squeaked open.

"Floor three! Don't talk to Anselm unless he speaks first little Shadowhunter!"

Emma nodded. "I'll keep that in mind!" She hoped he couldn't hear the sarcasm that occupied her voice even when she didn't want it to.

The elevator was small and smelled of a metal older than the club. They were all pressed against each other, Emma's head in Jules's chest. She could hear his heart beating violently and fast. He half smiled at her.

D-O-N'-T L-O-S-E Y-O-U-R H-E-A-D He traced onto the small of her back. She looked up and smiled.

W-O-U-L-D-N'-T D-R-E-A-M O-F I-T She traced back.

"Ow." Silas grunted. "Your elbow's digging into my side."

Christina's eyes widened. Her and Silas were standing as close as he and Jules were. Their hair curled into each other creating a sharp contrast, Christina's was the colour of coal with only a red streak that fell over her eyes, Silas's was the opposite with his dirty blonde hair that flopped over his forehead in waves. If he was on his tip-toes he would probably be her height Emma thought.

"Sorry." She said jerking her elbow back and hitting Jules.

"Ow! Thanks Tina"

"Sorry." She said again.

"Christina just stay still before you elbow someone else." Emma said firmly. Tina nodded her head and tucked a strand of her black hair over her ear.

The elevator ground to a halt with a loud screech. "Alright team; let's not try to piss off the high Warlock of Los Angeles." Emma said yanking the elevator door open.

"Great pep talk." Silas said darkly. Emma rolled her eyes.

"Maybe we should put our hands in." Jules put his hand in the middle of the elevator. "Go team-don't-piss-off-the-warlock."

"Woo." Christina said deadpan. They exited the elevator and it screeched back down to the club floor. She could still hear the thumping club music but it was muted now like they were surrounded by cotton wool softening the sound.

The dimly lit room was small with a bar against one wall filled with different coloured liquids and fine wines. It was mostly empty except for a few vacant tables. Four fey sat at one table, three boys and a girl dressed in leafy suits with actual gemstone buttons. The girl wore a small dress with vines covering the bare minimum without being considered naked. They all shared the same impishness and features. _Siblings _Emma thought.

In the other corner of the room a man with silvery grey hair played a sad slow tune on a grand piano. A female vampire with crimson hair wearing a long silver dress joined in with her flute.

"Shadowhunters!" A man in a white three piece suit called, he was behind the bar mixing drinks. They turned to different colours every time he clicked his fingers. The suit matched his salt white hair. Emma moved towards him and sat on a bar stool, the vampire girl's flute playing was incredible; it seemed to fill the room and drown out the electro-punk playing below.

She stared at the elevator as the vampire boy in the green turtle neck stepped out and sashayed towards them. A trickle of blood fell down his turtle neck as he slumped lazily onto a couch beside the piano watching Emma and the others at the bar.

"Malcom Fade." Emma said. He touched a tube shaped glass and turned an opaque blue liquid the same deep violet of his eyes.

He pushed a blue liquid towards Silas. "Try it." He smiled. "It's positively mousey."

"Don't you mean lousy?" Silas said picking up the glass and flicking the rim.

"Meh, same difference."

Christina took the glass out of Silas's hands and whispered in his ear. He looked down at the drink and promptly pushed it away from him.

"So so _boring." _Malcom said. "Have I told you about the mundane Magnus Bane turned into a rat at one of his parties? I tell you that led to a whole lot of crazy."

"I think he's a whole lot of crazy." Jules murmured under his breath. Emma spun a little on the bar stool and looked back to Malcom. He put his hand out and a vile of a Barbie pink liquid floated towards him.

He popped the cork and took a deep breath of the pink liquid. "Put this in someone's drink and they _literally _become love drunk. The last person they think about, they'll be infatuated with. It's quite funny actually." He sighed. "Ahh, the hijinks they get up to."

"You don't speak much do you?" He directed to Christina.

"I was raised by abusive librarians." She replied sharply. Malcom stopped mixing drinks and his eyes widened. Emma tensed and put her hand on Cortana's hilt when suddenly, he burst out laughing.

The pianist stopped and glared at them. Malcom mouthed 'Sorry' before the pianist continued. "Don't mind Anselm, he's very finicky about his music."

"Enough of the games Malcom." Emma said standing up. "Tell us who the Lady Midnight is."

Malcom's smile disappeared. He tensed up and spilt a lime green liquid onto his bright white suit. He tapped the spot where it landed twice and it vanished and turned white again.

"No idea what you're talking about." He moved along the bar and picked up a walkie-talkie. "I advise you to leave now. Not that I know anything but sometimes ignorance _really is_ bliss."

"I'm not leaving until I find out who she is." Emma slammed her fist against the counter spilling the liquids. Her anger briefly swelled in her chest, she wanted to know more. She wanted to know if there was a connection between the Lady Midnight and her parent's murder.

Malcom clicked a button on the black walkie-talkie. "Release the bubbles."

"Releasing the bubbles." A static voice returned. Emma scrunched her face in confusion.

"Don't you mean the hounds?"

Malcom pressed the button again. "That too."

The static voice replied. "You got it boss. The hellhounds are on their way up. Wait-Sir the hellhounds won't all fit in the elevator. They're getting distracted by the lights Sir." The voice cursed. "Limbo, get out of there. Virgil! Virgil! Bad boy!"

Malcom sighed and clicked the walkie-talkie. "Just put 'em back in the kennel." He sighed. He threw the walkie-talkie on the floor. The fey at the table behind them sniggered, she was sure she could hear them whispering to one another.

"Leave now." The humour vanished Malcom Fade's voice. He hopped over the bar and sauntered over to a pair of double doors opening them onto a balcony. He took one last look at Emma, nodded and shut the door.

"Warlocks are such curious creatures." The female fey said from behind them. The vines shifted as she moved in her seat.

"As are bartenders. Mix them together and well…" The fey next to her said. His hair was a tangle of tiny roses and thorns intertwined. "Good luck with the Lady Midnight." They clicked their fingers at the same time and vanished in a puff of misty green smoke.

Jules turned to the others and scratched his forehead. "I'm not gonna lie but the fair-folk are kinda dicks."

"Yeah, I think they left without paying their tab." Silas said peering over at the empty glasses.

Anselm Nightshade thumped his silvery-haired head against the piano in a tuneless mess. He motioned with a hand towards Emma and the crimson haired girl put away her flute. She shook her head at the blonde haired boy in the turtle neck. He stood up and took her arm as they ambled towards them. Anselm started playing softly again.

The crimson haired girl in the silver dress reminded Emma of a hunter's moon. Red and a bad omen to living things.

"We couldn't agree more Nephilim." Her voice was like the sound of two champagne glasses knocking together. She curtsied and the boy bowed. The only visible skin on him was his face; she wondered what he was hiding beneath his clothes. The girl was as pretty as the boy was handsome, both with long elegant faces. The boy had green eyes and blonde hair and a manner that spoke of an older age.

Emma supposed all vampires had that. They were stopped in time but time moved on without them; their worlds would be always be older.

The girls crimson red hair reached her waist and it reminded Emma of a waterfall of blood. Her eyes were a deep coffee brown with flecks of hazel near the pupil. They narrowed on Silas and she reached out stroking his cheek. In a second his face was flushed with red.

"Hello small, dark and handsome." She purred.

He let out a nervous laugh. "I'm actually blonde but-"

Christina stepped between them cutting Silas off and stuck her hand out. "Christina Rosales and you are?"

"Charmed." The vampire girl loosely shook her hand. "My name is Lila and this is Mitchell."

Jules laughed. Mitchell brushed imaginary lint off his green turtle neck, his green eyes blazing. "_Quel problem?"_

"It's just Mitchell doesn't exactly sound scary." Julien put his hands up in mock surrender. "Oh no, here comes Mitchell the bloodthirsty vampire. See?"

Lila snorted. Mitchell's lips thinned.

"Are you drunk?" Silas demanded. "What happened to not pissing people off?"

"I suppose you're right." Mitchell said after five seconds of scary silence. "Never do that again little Nephilim if you like your blood inside your body." His smile was like a knife edge.

"We have a proposition to you. Our clan leader Anselm Nightshade overheard your conversation about the Lady Midnight. He can give you very valuable information." Lila said taking careful measure on her pronunciation. Emma thought she could hear the slight faintness of a European accent.

"But you want something in return." Emma completed. She sighed and looked at the two vampires. They both had such a cold ice-like beauty that seemed to freeze the room.

Mitchell clapped his hands sarcastically. "Clever girl." Said Mitchell. "Yes, we have a problem that we can't fix for our Master. You see we've been having trouble with this out of town werewolf pack in the Santa Monica hills. They have been Turning hikers who go into those hills. If they don't turn on the first bite they'll do it again and wait until the next full moon."

"And why do you care?" Julien asked. "Were the hikers subjugates? Friends? Subjugate friends?"

"Hardly." Lila coolly replied. _God, even your voice sounds like ice _Emma thought. "Our problem is that there are an awful lot of them and they're trying to push into vampire territory. We don't like that. We are creatures of balance you see and the balance is tipping in their favour. If you want your information you have to scatter the mutts."

"And how do you propose we do that? Get some water and spray their noses? Tell them off?"

Lila smiled. "Do what you do with all bad dogs. Put the Alpha down and they'll get scared. They'll run off leaderless."

Mitchell took a letter out of his back pocket and pressed it into Emma's hand. "The location of the pack leader. He's in no way affiliated with the pack leader of Los Angeles, there won't be any fall-out with the downworlders here. I promise." She could tell he was trying to sound reassuring.

"Come back when the job is done _except you_…" she said in a low sultry voice to Silas. She leaned forward and kissed the corner of his mouth leaving a red lipstick mark; at least Emma hoped it was lipstick. Silas stayed perfectly still, he reminded Emma of a deer in headlights, powerless to stop what was happening to you.

"Come see me _whenever._" She whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. Christina coughed loudly and she broke away, she eyed Christina up and down. "Oh yes, this _will_ be fun."

Mitchell nodded at Emma. Lila was already gliding towards Anselm who continued to play sweet tunes on the grand piano. "Come back here when the job is done. We'll be watching." He followed after Lila.

Silas was still staring in shock.

Jules bumped Emma's shoulder. "Is he still alive?" He asked. Emma pinched Silas's elbow.

"Ow!"

"Yep." Emma looked down at the envelope. Her name was written on it in green ink. An odd choice but she imagined that they must have run out of black pens.

_Emma Carstairs_

She turned to the others. The signs of fatigue covered their faces. Jules who normally bounded with energy was yawning setting off the others.

"I think it's time we got back." She looked at the envelope again rubbing the green ink, staining her thumb. "Let's go home." She said.

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	6. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Hey :) I hope you enjoy this new chapter of The dark artifices Lady Midnight. Remember to hit me up with a review below, its great to hear what people think. Enjoy!**

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**5\. Down the Rabbit Hole**

"We should be Parabatai." Livvy said, tugging at the hem of her pyjamas. She was sprawled across Ty's bed and was watching him as he was mixing various vialled liquids. It was common for Livvy to be found in Ty's room and vice-versa. Although Livvy liked it in Ty's room, he always found a way to keep everything neat, despite the vast amounts of lab equipment and leather bound books that covered his room.

The clock rolled over one. Ty was dressed in a white lab coat over jeans and a t-shirt.

Ty made a choking noise, his grey eyes wide. "Why would you suggest that?" He said. "Our current situation works more than sufficiently."

Livvy threw her hands up in the air. "No it doesn't Ty!" Livvy felt awful. She never shouted at Ty, she wondered if this was the teenage hormones that Jules forbid her to have. He was sometimes more protective of her than Ty was, almost as if he were more her father than her brother.

Ty clutched at his throat and looked away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to shout." She said softly. Ty gently put down a vial of purple liquid on his desk; a droplet spilt and sizzled when it hit the floor.

Tiberius made a ragged sound. "That's quite alright. It's just…"

Livvy leaned closer to her twin. Behind him was a poster of Sherlock Holmes and a shadowy figure holding a woman with a knife to her throat. "What is it?"

"Becoming a Parabatai is more of a commitment than I can handle Livia." A shadow passed by his grey eyes. "I'm not a fighter and I will expose your weaknesses if we are together."

"Or I'll highlight your strengths." Livvy argued. Ty ran a hand through his unruly black hair. "It's three months until out sixteenth birthday. November twenty-third. Think about becoming my Parabatai." Livvy knew that deadlines and facts were sometimes the only way to get through to Ty. She sometimes wished others could see him the way she did. Not the black sheep of the family who had little interest in killing demons like the rest but a person who wanted to use his brains to fight not brawn.

"When we turn sixteen and you still don't want to become Parabatai. I'll never bring it up again." She said.

Ty looked over at his lab equipment and then back at her. "I agree to your terms." He said curtly. Livvy launched herself into a hug which he awkwardly returned, patting her back lightly.

"Thank you Ty." She whispered into his ear.

"It's alright." He mumbled back. "It's alright."

* * *

Emma didn't expect to be let off the hook the moment they had all walked in. Jamie had been in the hallway pacing and cursing in Spanish. What Emma did expect was to be called the ringleader by Jaime. The others had managed to avoid his line of fire and were allowed to go to bed. She got a few pitying looks from Christina before her, Silas and Jules went to bed.

It was one o'clock by the time Jaime had let her go to bed. She hadn't told him about the Lady Midnight or the note she had gotten from Anselm and his vampire lackey's. His sad piano playing still filled her head, it felt like something was taken from him as he played and not returned. She wondered if that was part of the song.

Emma climbed up the stairs to the third floor and into her room. It was clean, he weapons neatly stacked in the corner. An old chest sat by the end of her bed. Arthur had made it for her when he first got to the institute. He had quite a talent for woodcarving despite his small, frail hands. Emma felt a lurch in her stomach and realised she missed him and Diana.

She took the envelope out of her pocket and stared at it. The green ink still stained her thumb and gave her a slight prickly sensation.

Emma looked at it for another minute before curiosity got the better of her and she ripped it open with an old hunting knife. Inside was a piece of coloured paper folded over into a small lump. She unfolded the paper and was greeted to a sight of a map of Los Angeles. Two areas were circled in red ink, at least she hoped it was just red ink. A warehouse in the Santa Monica hills and a Jazz club in downtown Los Angeles.

She touched the Santa Monica hills with her index finger. It would take her an hour to get there in the dead of night. The werewolves would be sleeping, she required stealth and going on her own was her best bet. She could probably get back before daybreak.

_It would take rabid dogs to tear me away from you Em_

She thought of Jules. His smile and how much he trusted her. If he knew what she was planning to do he'd stop her and tell her they needed to bring the Calvary in which she did not need. She was better alone. Alone meant she could get the job done quickly. Alone was safe.

She folded up the map and creeped to the car.

* * *

She watched as Emma Carstairs left the institute. She was a curious creature the Lady Midnight thought, she had dispatched of the Oni with ease. Simply a test of the girl's abilities. Underestimating your enemy was not a mistake she meant to make. She had watched the likes of Valentine and Sebastian Morgenstern fall as they failed to estimate the ability of Clarissa Fairchild and her friends.

The Lady Midnight launched herself onto the next rooftop, hiding herself behind a gargoyle. Emma had gotten into the black pick-up truck and started the engine. It roared to life. The Lady Midnight held out her hand and felt her breath quicken as the magic flew through her veins like liquid fire. Out of the green mist that had formed above her a flower had dropped into her hand.

She smiled at the bloodroot and blew it towards the moving car. It floated, dancing on the wind before lodging itself under the truck.

"_And so Alice went down the rabbit hole, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again." _

The car disappeared into the distance and bright lights of the city. She jumped around the institute, learning it's every crevice, it's every exploitation. A greying cat with a bell around its neck stalked the rooftop. It hissed when she neared it. She considered killing it right there, she was faster than it and could snap its neck with ease.

The cat hissed and she jumped closer to it, padding along the tiled roof of the church. She took a small knife out from her side and prepared to run her blade through the cats pulsing neck.

"Emma." A boy furiously whispered. "Emma!" The Lady Midnight watched as the cat ran into the darkness and back into the institute. She looked down to see a handsome, tall boy dressed in Shadowhunter black. His face was angular and had a manner that spoke of absolute confidence. His brown hair swept across his forehead. She had not expected Emma to leave without her Parabatai. After all Parabatai drew strength from each other.

Perhaps she had bored of him. The boy ran out into the street and whistled loudly. A cab stopped and he jumped in. He took his phone out and put it to his ear. The cab disappeared into darkness, its tires screeched against the pavement.

The Lady Midnight stood up and looked towards the Santa Monica hills in the distance. She closed her eyes and felt the magic enveloping her again.

"I'm coming." She whispered.

* * *

Emma raised the witchlight high into the air, its light illuminating the trees around the decrepit warehouse. She supposed she had to give the werewolves points for a sense of humour. Werewolves living in a warehouse. From a distance the large black building reminded Emma of a Castle, black stone and scaffolding criss-crossing the outside like a big 'X' warning her to stay away.

Trucks lined the outside, each rusted to a tawny colour of a wolf pelt. Something sputtered in the distance. Behind the last truck a dark figure lurched forward.

"_Haniel" _She said. The seraph short sword lit up in her thin hands. She gripped it tightly pointing it towards an old pick-up truck similar to the one she had left a mile out. She looked up, the moon was almost full. Maybe she had two days until the next full moon maybe three?

"Who's there?" She demanded. The figure shuffled out of the shadows. Emma gasped. The man was small and old, his face covered in wrinkles and scars. His eyes were like little moons, silver and wide awake. The man gripped his shoulder over the rags he was wearing and winced. There was blood underneath his small, child-like hand.

"Help…Me…" He gasped.

Emma kept her distance. "Who are you?"

The man smiled, his breathing was laboured. "The name's Peter and you are?"

"Emma." She replied curtly. She pointed towards his arm with _Haniel. _"Your arm, tell me what happened. Were you attacked in these hills?" The warehouse behind her creaked in the wind. She wished she had a hearing rune, she was unsure if she could hear whispers of others or whispers of the tree's. Maybe both.

Peter gestured to her sword. "It's been a long time since a child of the Nephilim threatened me with a sword." He shook his hands and long claws grew from his fingernails like a sword being unsheathed. "So Emma, who told you to come here?"

Emma kept her sword steady and looked into the silver eyes of the man. She took small steps hoping he wouldn't notice. He took a cigarette out of a pocket and lit it, blowing the first puff of smoke in Emma's direction. It reminded her of Julien; he would blow the smoke in rings and always sigh after having the first breath.

"Hmm. This is good stuff. From England you know?" He croaked. "Not going to reply are you? I suppose my injured dog routine didn't work. You'd be surprised how many hikers I've turned just by doing that same trick, mundies never learn do they?"

"You're leader of the pack?" Emma asked. She stopped moving, eyeing the small man up. He was old and thin and nothing like the werewolves in uptown Los Angeles. They were all strong, not an old man in rags.

Peter bowed his head and blew smoke out of his nostrils. The humour had gone from his voice. "I suppose I am. Not what you were expecting. Perhaps something along the lines of that Bastard Luke Garroway. He killed my little brother in Idris to become pack leader. I controlled my brother and in return he controlled the pack. When he died my influence shattered. The wolves started to have morals."

"Whereas you're just feral." Emma retorted. Peter snarled. There was blood on his thin lips. "What's the matter don't like that word? _Feral."_

"Watch your mouth little girl. The Lady midnight wanted you alive but that doesn't mean I still can't beat you to an inch of your life."

Emma froze. "Why does everyone keep mentioning her? Who is she and I might let you live." Emma jumped towards the old man and kicked his shin. He swiped at her face but she ducked and knee'd his stomach. Peter lay on the floor clutching his chest moaning. Emma put the tip of _Haniel _to his chest applying a gentle pressure.

"You little bitch!" He spat.

Emma smiled triumphantly. "I'm not little." Emma pressed the blade harder into Peter's narrow chest. He gasped out.

"You wouldn't kill an old man would you?"

"Not if you tell me everything about who the Lady Midnight is." She kicked his leg. "Fast."

His moon-like eyes dulled and a shadow passed over them. "We've never met her. The Unseelie Court warned us but it was too late. She killed half the pack and forced us to move out of the hills and into that hole you call a city." He spat in the direction of Los Angeles. "Why would she kill them? We had to regain power or the vampires would come after us. Steal our homes, kill our pups."

Emma stepped back. _Do what you do with all bad dogs. Put the Alpha down,_ Lila's voice rang in Emma's head. Had Anselm even known about Mitchell and Lila telling Emma to kill the pack leader or was this their way of trying to please him. The werewolves weren't innocent but neither were the vampires.

"So are you going to let me go?" Peter smiled weakly.

"No."

Peter whistled loudly. A large pair of hands grabbed Emma and threw her to the ground. She felt herself be lifted into the air and then thrown onto the ground again and then again. By this time Peter was standing up smiling at Emma. A large man picked her up by her feet and put her over his back. Peter blew smoke all over Emma's face causing her to cough.

Emma spit in his face. He rubbed the spit of her face and looked at his hand. "Feral am I?" He slapped her, claws raking across her cheek. She felt blood dribble from the wound. "I prefer free." Peter gestured to the man in front of her. He was covered in wolf pelts and his face had a large scar distorting his lips.

"Tie her up like the other one. Tomorrow we ransom her to the Lady Midnight."

"What about the boy?" The tall man said. Emma felt herself starting to lose consciousness. The voices of Peter and the wolf man fading away as if they were in a tunnel far far away.

"We hunt him at first light. It's been an age since I tasted Shadowhunter blood."

"No." Emma wheezed. Peter smiled at her and put the butt of the cigarette into his hand and twisted. The sizzling of flesh caused her to gag before she finally lost consciousness.

* * *

Christina woke up feeling exhausted. It was still dark outside but her body wouldn't let her sleep. After twenty minutes of reading through _Werewolves: A beastly study _she decided that 3.30AM was a good time for breakfast. She crept out of her room, carefully padding through the hallway careful not to wake Tavvy up. Once he was up he'd want breakfast too and would cry when Christina sent him back to bed.

She could hear the gentle snoring of Livvy as she passed her room. It was soothing like listening to rain inside a car. Sometimes she couldn't get over how big the Los Angeles institute was. In New Mexico their _instituto _was small and compacted. It was hidden on the outskirts of the city and the largest area was a spire that seemed to reach for the stars. When she was little and couldn't sleep, she would sneak up the tower and watch the city in its yellow haze. She liked to pretend she was the only one who knew about the tower and it was her secret.

The kitchen lights came on to her presence and she took out a box of cereal and started pouring it. Cereal flakes spilling over the white marble counter. She looked up through the glass doors and saw a small figure sitting on the surf staring out at the sea spinning an axe.

_What's he doing out there?_ she thought. Christina opened the door and walked along the beach to where he was sitting. Silas was very strange to watch with the axe. He spun it around in his hands like it was nothing. She supposed he had the upper body strength for it.

"Working on your tan?" She said. Silas jumped and started sputtering. His axe fell into the sand. The moon lit up the metal making it almost look silver in the night.

He looked away quickly and nodded his head, his eyes wide. His cheeks had turned scarlet. Christina sat beside him watching the waves as they crashed against the white sand. She picked up the woodcutters axe, on the wood was a small etching of a bird perching on a tree.

"It's a raven in a willow tree. In ancient Chinese culture it was believed to ward off evil spirits." He said. "I suppose its fitting being a Shadowhunter fighting demons."

"My surujin's made out of blessed metal. It was given to me by my grandmother as a tenth birthday present. She used it when she was young. When she was first learning to fight, she accidently hit my grandfather with the bladed end and that's how they met." Christina replied. "She didn't even apologise afterwards."

Silas smiled. "Well nothing screams romance like being stabbed." He had large purple bags under his eyes. The more Christina looked at them, the more they seemed to become less sickly. The flecks of yellow in his green eyes becoming more prominent like tiny stripes around the iris.

He took a large pendant out of his pocket. "Uh, you dropped this when we got in. I tried to tell you but you had already gone to your room. I didn't want to wake you." He said quietly. He looked away from the pendant nervously.

The pendant was silver, in the shape of a circle with a rose inside it. The rose was wrapped around with thorny briars.

"Thank's. I didn't even realise I had lost it." She said. Silas lips quirked up into a smile.

"What does the Latin mean?" Silas asked. He handed Christina the medallion and she slipped it over her neck. "The inscription on the back."

"I thought they taught you Latin in the academy in Idris?"

Silas paled and scratched his neck uncomfortably. "Well I was only there for two years after my father died and my mom…" He sighed. "The point is I never really learned because that jerk Jude Nightwine made my life hell and used to steal my Latin books. Ergo no Latin."

"Ergo?"

"That's probably as much as I know unless you want to know how to ask for an apple." He replied.

Christina raised her eyebrows. "It means blessed be the Angel my strength who teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to fight."

Silas looked at her and laughed. "You believe in Angels?" He looked incredulous.

"Of course I do. Clarissa Fairchild saw the angel Raziel whilst she was fighting Valentine by Lake Lynn." Christina argued. "Others said they saw him as well." She felt herself start to become hot with anger.

Silas rolled his eyes. "Please. Have you heard what the Lake of Mirrors does to people? It makes them hallucinate. The Fair-Folk in Idris used to drink from it all the time, they'd sit by the edges and claim they saw prophetic visions."

"Did they give you a vision of your future?" Christina asked.

"Yeah." Sarcasm dripped off his voice. "Apparently I'm going to be murdered by a duck in my sleep."

Christina laughed and felt the anger subside a little. Silas smiled brightly at her. He still had the lipstick mark from Lila on the corner of his cheek. Something felt strange when she saw how close she was getting to him.

"People shouldn't trust ducks." She said thoughtfully. The tide was starting to get lower and lower down the beach front. From the distance she thought she could still hear the electro-punk from 'Beyond the Rave'. "So you really don't believe in angels despite what everyone says."

"I just think that if there were Angels, they would try to help us more. So many of us died during the Dark war. My sister was endarkened. The Blackthorns lost their parents. The Praetor Lupus was almost completely wiped out." Silas looked at Christina. "Why would an Angel let that happen to us?"

Christina stayed silent before finally finding the right words. "It's not about angels, it's about faith. Faith can move mountains and push people to go farther than they'd ever thought."

Christina was suddenly feeling very tired. Silas had a faraway look; he picked up his axe and stood up. He put his hand out for Christina to take.

She took it and stood up. He was smaller than her, his eyes only just reaching the top of her nose. It was odd, she wondered if to make up for the height he worked on becoming strong.

Christina kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for finding my pendant."

His eyes were large and he looked like he was about to panic. "Mgh?" His eyes suddenly narrowed on the spot behind Christina, near the institute. He pointed behind her. "Didn't you guys have a car?"

She span around and saw he was right. The black pick-up was gone, leaving a trail of black tire marks. Christina said a very unladylike word.

"I think your car has been jacked." He said behind her.

"Mundies can't see the church Silas."

"Right, of course. Maybe Ragnor Fell stole it after Emma pissed him off?" He said hopefully. Christina had a sickly feeling that reached to the pit of her stomach and was spreading rapidly.

"Emma stole it." She whispered. "She's finding the werewolf by herself."

Silas put his head in his hands. Yellow strands of his straw-like hair tumbling over his eyes. "What are we supposed to do now? We have no idea where she's gone and its not as if we can stick our head out of a cab calling for her like Lassie."

Christina tried to think back to give her some clue where Emma might have went until she remembered the vampires in the club.

_"The location of the pack leader." _Mitchell had said. _"They'll be no fallout." _

"Call a cab. I have a plan." Christina said before running to the institute to grab her gear.

"Any chance you could fill me in!" Silas called after her in the distance. "Alright then. I love surprises… sort of."

"Have Faith!" She shouted back. She almost thought she could hear him laugh.

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	7. The Poisoned Stag

**Hello there :) I've got something to cheer up your monday/any other day blues. A new chapter! As always remember to Review as it encourages me to continue with the story. I hope you enjoy :D**

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**6\. The Poisoned Stag**

Emma breathed shallowly on Julien's lap. He had caught her when Peter and another werewolf had thrown her in his cell. Her blonde hair was stained with blood. He wished he had his stele with him or anything for that matter. Something to heal her. To make her better.

Julien looked around his cell. It was a storage cupboard he guessed with cold brick walls and a big metal door locked from the outside. For a moment Julien thought he saw something shimmer in the corner of the room like a veil. A blink later and it was gone.

Emma mumbled something and Jules started to rub her head and hair. He traced his thumb over her sharp cheeks. She was beautiful he had realised a long time ago. He couldn't pinpoint when he had noticed but it seemed more evident when she was vulnerable like this. Her face lacked the sharp lines that he had grown used to. He kissed her on the forehead lightly. She tasted of wolfs blood and sweat.

"I'm going to get us out of this Em." He whispered. "I promise."

"I wouldn't count on that." A sing song voice said.

Julien span and instinctively reached for a blade that was no longer there. "Who said that?" He demanded. Like a curtain being raised, the shimmering in the room disappeared to reveal a man in chains up to his neck.

He was pale and slender with a mop of unruly dark hair that covered his forehead. He was handsome in a rough way with faint scars covering his face. As the shimmering disappeared more of him became visible. A pair of long tusks curled around his face starting from his jawline. A black scorpion's tail started to rise up like a cobra coming out of a basket.

"Warlock." Julien murmured. The warlock in chains smiled, baring his glossy white teeth. His tusks were slightly yellow and spotted with red paint.

"Well I'm certainly not a vampire." The Warlock struggled in his chains and winced. Julien wondered why he didn't use magic to get himself out. "I need a hair clip." He motioned towards Emma with his tail. "Take one from her head."

Julien tensed. "First I want your name." He looked down at Emma. She was covered in blood, usually it wasn't her own Julien noted.

The Warlock wrestled with the chains again. "Darius Mirth." He finally said. "Now pass me that hairclip Nephilim. I need to undo these chains."

Jules rolled his eyes and gently took the silver hairclip from Emma's forehead. Her blonde hair tumbled down over her eyes which Julien lifted back up. He wiped the blood off the clip before throwing it to Darius. Warlocks could do blood magic he knew, just giving them a drop was enough for a hold over you. In books he had read, those possessed were like darklings. They would feel pulled to the warlock like an invisible rope between them. Darius's scorpion tail darted out and picked up the clip. It's pincers were bright yellow on the ends like a warning light.

Jules leaned down to Emma while Darius was murmuring curses as he dealt with his chains. Emma's eyes flickered open. Her brown eyes were shining as if there were tiny stars in the centre.

"Jules…", she murmured, "You followed me... Not… a good idea." She gasped. He kissed her forehead again and tasted blood on his lips but didn't care. All he cared about was Emma right now.

"Following you is always a good idea." He whispered. "Because I always have to bail you out."

She smiled sleepily at him and put her hand on his cheek. "_For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams"_

Emma dropped her hand and fell unconscious again. She was reciting Anabelle Lee Jules realised. A poem that Arthur had made them read and had become a personal favourite of his. It was about a woman who died but lived on with her love. He didn't know she had remembered it.

"Well that's awful cute. A bit romantic comedy but I could get into it." Darius said from behind them. Jules turned around to see he was in jeans and a ripped suit jacket over a stained white shirt. He was rubbing his tusks as one would rub a beard.

"We're not dating. We're _Parabatai_." Jules said firmly. Darius shrugged and his scorpion tail nipped playfully at his cheek. A lock of black hair fell over his dark grey eyes.

"Forbidden love. I love it!" He exclaimed suddenly. He paced around the cell stretching a pair of long thin legs. "I haven't had something as juicy as this since Anthony and Cleopatra. Two households both alike in dignity-"

"Is that Romeo and Juliet?" Julien interrupted wide eyed. Darius beamed.

"Yes my dear boy. Shakespeare." Said Darius. "That man knew how to write a tragic love story. Hamlet, Macbeth, Juliet and her Romeo. Their loves were magical without the actual magic." He patted his tail with his hand and sat down cross-legged next to Julien. He smelt that familiar warlock smell of burnt matches.

"She's bleeding." Mumbled Darius. "Peter does like to play with his food. Do you mind? I'd hate to see your love ruined by head injury."

Julien saw there was no sense in arguing with him. He had already made up his mind about the two of them. Even if there was a love it would be impossible…

_Stop thinking like that. _Jules snapped himself out of it and nodded. Darius put his manicured hands to Emma's temples. A dark green light shone and Emma's cuts and bruises started to vanish. Her split lip healed and the cut across her cheek faded into a light scar. The blood turned to water and slid off her face.

"You're lucky it was only a scratch. Werewolf bites can leave one feeling a little _hairy." _Darius removed his hands and leant back yawning. "I tell you magic takes more out of you than a workout. Six minute abs? Try six minutes of magic."

"If you can do magic why don't you portal out of here?" Julien asked. He took the hairclip from the floor that Darius dropped and clasped it back into Emma's hair. "You're a warlock. You were born with magic running through your veins."

Darius shrugged a thin shoulder. "Magic is boring. Warlocks are too dependent on the stuff. Tv's broken? Summon a new one. Hungry? Summon pizza from Italy. Boring, boring, boring."

Juliens stomach rumbled loudly in response to Darius's pizza talk. "So you trapped yourself deliberately?"

"Spot on." Said Darius standing up. He rubbed his unruly black hair back. "I'm an escape _artiste. _Like Houdini but with tusks and a tail. And more hipster." He winked. "I trap myself in situations like this and work out a way to get out. No cell nor cuffs can hold me Romeo."

"Jules."

"Gazuntite."

Julien sighed. He was starting to get the feeling this warlock was two seraph blades short of a set.

"Any chance you can portal us out of here then?" Julien asked. "We don't have the money now but-"

"I don't work on promises boy. The last time I did that France started a revolution and BAM! Another member of French royalty hits the dust." Darius seemed to soften at Julien's expression. "Don't look at me like that. I have a rule. I have to escape magic free."

"Fine." Julien said. He started to rub Emma's hair again. Darius was pacing around the cell. He stopped suddenly and looked at the door.

"Peters coming." He whispered. "Look Julie. Do not anger him. He's a piece of work. Feral. Worse than that immortal platypus I met in Australia." He patted Julien on the shoulder and tapped on one of his red spotted tusks. "Good luck_. Cohibe._ "

The chains around Darius started to wind around him again. He nodded at Julien before he disappeared entirely. Now Julien knew he was here he could hear his breathing and smell his cologne. The door swung open with a crack. Peter stomped in covered in blood. His face was dripping with it.

He crouched down next to Julien. His breath was foul and made him want to vomit. "I think it's time for a chat. Don't you?"

* * *

"Well this is ominous." Silas said. Christina looked up at the crumbling warehouse. It was square with smashed windows and bricks blackened by explosions. Perhaps it was a firework factory she thought. "Maybe Emma just went for a drive down the beach front?"

"You don't know Emma." Christina replied. Earlier she had ran out with numerous silver weapons for taking out the werewolves. Silas had refused them and insisted on his axe but eventually agreed on a small dagger. She had made him call Lila on the number she had given him. Lila had told him where the warehouse was and according to Silas "Only propositioned me twice."

"Well it has been a day. I barely know any of you." Silas said as he pushed the warehouse door open with his axe. "So far all I know is Emma likes fighting, you like imaginary angels and Julien likes Emma."

Christina followed him into the warehouse. She got her witchlight out and it blazed bright, the light illuminating off the rows and rows of crates. Each one was stamped with a different country name. _Thailand, India, Morocco._ Christina took out her silver sword, grasping it tight.

"Of course Julien likes Emma. They're Parabatai. And we are not having another angel argument." She said. The started padding along the ground through the warehouse.

"Really? You can't see it? Carstairs and Blackthorn?" He asked. They stopped moving and looked at each other. Christina thought back to the year she had been here. At the beginning they were always stealing glances with each other, leaning on each other. Notions she would normally associate with a couple but they were parabatai. It was normal?

Silas was looking forward into the darkness. "I wouldn't know what 'it' is." Christina admitted.

Silas turned back to her. "You've never dated anyone?" His eyes narrowed. "Why? You're beautiful."

His eyes widened and his body seemed to freeze up. Silas started spluttering trying to spit out a sentence. Christina felt her cheeks redden slightly.

"What I mean to say-not that you're not good looking-you seem like the kind of person people would date?" Silas started coughing and for a moment Christina thought she heard a good natured laugh come up from the rafters. She looked up and saw a shadow move.

_I must be going insane _she thought.

Christina started walking again looking for werewolves. _Where were they?_ She thought.

"I'm arranged to be married." Christina said. She thought of the boy her parents were sending to her. She didn't know his name or what he looked like. In a month she was expected to make her decision on whether to marry him or not. It was a big decision for so little time.

"As in you have to marry someone you don't even like? What if you hated them? What if they were repulsive and you'd have to wake up to-"

"It's not like that!" Christina snapped. Silas looked down at the floor. "My parents pick someone they think I'll like. If I do, I marry them. If I don't, then they choose another. It's a Rosales tradition." She spat. She could feel the burning sensation of tears behind her eyes. She looked away hating the feeling.

"What if you never like the person they choose?" Silas whispered from behind her. Christina turned and leaned on a crate.

"They'll find someone but it will always be who they like first."

Silas moved next to her and awkwardly patted her shoulder. "Um… There, there?" His hands were warm and more reassuring than the sound of his voice.

He moved further away from her keeping his distance. "I'm sure they mean the best for you. I'm sure they want you to be happy with someone they trust." Silas spoke soothingly. "You know I'd kill for my parents to arrange marry me. I'm not exactly getting any offers. Girls don't like short boys with a slight napoleon complex that takes a sharp left into angry leprechaun mode."

"So you got the short end of the stick?" Christina smiled. Silas chuckled softly.

"A small joke. Hilarious."

"I could write the jokes in list form if you'd prefer." Christina smiled.

"Your parents love you and they want someone good for you. At least you can choose." Silas said. "You should be thankful you have parents. A lot of us don't."

"Your mother's not dead is she?" Christina asked. Silas's face darkened and he gripped his axe tighter. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No. You shouldn't have." Silas spoke. "She's alive but I'll never see her again. It's only me now. The law is hard but it is the law."

There was a long silence. A silence that seemed to cut the world apart between her and Silas.

"You're only alone if you choose to be." Christina said softly. Silas stood up and stated pacing. He tried smiling half-heartedly at Christina.

"Well look on the Brightside. If you don't like any of your suitors you can always hop the border and escape to Mexico." He smiled uneasily.

Christina shook her head. "I'm from Mexico _idiota"_

"What about Canada? I hear Montreal is lovely this time of year. The Autumn leaves and such."

Christina stood up and they both began searching the warehouse again in silence. Her bag was filled with silver weapons. Daggers, swords and fine silver powder put into small pouches. At the end of the warehouse was an office. People were laughing inside. The laughing was cut off by a strangled scream.

"He's turning!" A male werewolf cackled. "Who wants to fight the pup first!"

"I'll do it!" A woman shouted. The room suddenly exploded into laughter and barking. Christina lurched forward but Silas pulled her back. He paled when she looked at him furiously.

"There's nothing we can do for him now." He said reluctantly. "He's gone."

More barking erupted from behind the metal door. She tried to block out the sound of flesh ripping. "So what do you suggest we do?" She whispered furiously.

He looked at the door and then back at her. "We lock them in. We find Carstairs and Blackthorn and we leave."

"They'll hurt more people."

"Not if we're fast enough. We send a fire message to the clave and they can deal with the mutts." He spoke under his breath.

"Fine." Christina said. "But we send a message as soon as we're out. No later."

Silas nodded. "It's a deal."

Christina got out her mother's stele and began to draw locking runes all over the door while Silas was look out. He kept looking up at the rafters and for a moment she thought he might start climbing to find out what was up there.

"Done." Christina announced. "Now we find Emma and Jules."

* * *

Peter backhanded Jules hard and he hit the floor.

"What is it?" Peter taunted. "Poor little angel boy can't fight without a blade?" He kicked Jules stomach. He refused to scream in front of this man even though he could feel his ribs breaking one by one. The spot where Darius was hiding shimmered again but Peter paid it no mind.

"Tell me how many members the Los Angeles werewolf pack has?" He spat at Jules.

"Go to hell." He smiled up at Peter. He could feel the blood run down his face like a warm trickling stream.

Peter snarled. "Wrong. Answer." This time he kneed Jules in the ribs and he felt something crack. Julien had never felt a beating as bad as this before. He had fought demons and harpies and creatures that had more teeth than he could count. But this was the worst. The lack of breath made him want to vomit. Every time Peter kicked or punched him he tried to make his resolve stronger.

_Temper us in Fire and we go stronger. The more we suffer the more we survive. _

Peter sat cross legged next to Julien. Emma was bundled in the corner, her head slack against her chest.

Peter sighed. "Julien. We can talk this out like gentlemen. I just want to know the power of the werewolf pack and Vampire coven. You see a certain friend of mine is planning something big and if I don't give her what she wants she'll slaughter more of my pack."

"The Lady Midnight. Why are you helping her if she's going to slaughter more of your pack?" Jules mumbled. He was not going to lose consciousness he kept repeating to himself.

Peters silver eyes glowed. He could see the small yellow ring around the pupil that showed him for what he truly was. "Let me tell you a secret." Peter whispered. "I don't care if they die. Being a werewolf is a blessing. I will turn more mundanes and they will be loyal to me or they will die. Then I will become leader of the biggest pack this side of the country. Los Angeles will be a playground for wolves."

"Bastard." Jules spit in his face. Peter sighed and rubbed his face. He leaned back on the wall and started to stroke Jules hair with his small scarred hand. "Let me tell you a story Julien-"

"ROT IN HELL!" Julien shouted. Peter pushed his head into the hard concrete floor. Blood started to pool around his face as he struggled. Peter tutted and punched the base of Juliens spine making him spasm uncontrollably. Jules heard a small gasp and the rattling of chains from where Darius was hidden. _Is he going to help me? _Jules wondered.

"There were once two boys who grew up in Idris. The younger of the children was a good child. He could never hurt a fly and he never wanted to. The older of the two was the opposite. He used to beat the younger boy until he was bloody and then some. His parents would say what a good werewolf he was and how the younger sibling was a disappointment."

Jules heard Darius whispering a chant and his face started to go numb. The blood that was pouring from his face stopped.

"One day the parents decided to take the older boy on a hunting trip with them but the younger boy was left behind as penance. Two days passed. He was left living only on a single peach. The older boy came back alone covered in their parent's blood, dazed and scared. He said a man with hair as white as snow had attacked them butchering the boy's parents. He skinned the parent's pelts and hung them up as a warning. The older boy was never the same after that. He was as strong as he had always been but now lacked the cunning and brains which the younger boy had in spades."

_Valentine _Jules thought. He and his son were the only people with white hair. Juliens breath started to come back to him as Darius chanted. He was healing him slowly and he could feel his strength returning to him. Now was the time to pretend to be weak. To wait and strike.

"From that day on the younger boy promised to take revenge on the Nephilim. The two boys went to the biggest Werewolf pack in Idris and begged to be taken in by the pack leader. Then the younger boy realised this was what he wanted. Power over others. So one day he bought a poison from a Green skinned warlock and fed it to a stag. The pack leader couldn't resist eating it and became ill. This was when he set his stronger brother on him who killed the old pack leader. Little did anyone know that the younger sibling was the real leader, whispering into his _stupid_ brothers ears."

"So you cheated?" Julien said.

"Cheating? No, of course not. It was the pack leaders choice to eat the poisoned Stag. He could have let his pride be and left the Stag." Peter smiled. The blood started to dry around his thin lips becoming crusty and flaking off.

Peter waved his arm. "For a long time the younger boy remained in power whispering orders into his brother's ears until one day a Nephilim came. His name was Luke Garroway who had been turned. The younger boy could see what was happening. The Nephilim wanted more of what they had taken from him. The Bastard wolf and his brother fought for a day and a half before his brother was murdered. In one ripping of the throat, the younger boy's power vanished. He tried to whisper into the bastard wolfs ear but he refused to listen and called him a savage. The boy fled that night and came to America. He vowed from that day on that he would kill anyone who ever came in his way again."

"Kind of a sucky moral." Darius's said merrily. His veil disappeared. The chains fell off and he straightened his ripped suit jacket. "Dear lord have you not heard about the three acts of storytelling. Beginning, middle, end. Read some Shakespeare you Cretin." His scorpion pincer darted out and stung Peter in the leg. Peter let out a pained howl and Collapsed to the floor.

Darius leaned on the wall and petted his pincers. "Cat eyes my ass. Scorpion tails are for the Practical warlock."

"And the tusks?"

Darius smiled like a cat. "For the stylish."

The metal door burst open. Christina and Silas jumped through. Christina surveyed the room and immediately went to Emma. Silas looked down at the crying Peter.

"bout ten seconds too late boys. Warlock One. Shadowhunters zero." He looked up at Cristina. "Sorry Miss. In the shadows you have quite the masculine figure if I do say so myself."

Christina ignored his comment and was checking Emma's pulse. Jules saw her eyes flicker open briefly.

He stood up now filled with a rage that made him forget his pain. He looked down at Peter; his tears had cleaned the blood from his shrivelled face. Jules turned to Silas and put his hand out.

"Give me that axe." Jules said. Silas took the axe from his belt and passed it uneasily to Jules. "Thank you."

"Don't do something you'll regret." Silas said solemnly. "But by the look of you, I wouldn't blame you if you did." The Woodcutters axe was heavy and cumbersome, made mostly out of metal. A willow tree was etched into the hilt Jules noted.

Peter looked up at Jules. His tears were free flowing. Jules wondered if Darius's tail had poison in it and if Peter was already dying. He hoped not. He deserved worse after what he's done.

"Mercy. Please." He cried. "You will pay for what you've done."

Julien lifted the axe up ready to cave Peters head in. He was feral. It was the law. In one swing he would never hurt anyone ever again.

Jules was about to swing the axe ending Peter's life.

And then Emma screamed.


End file.
